Portable tape player with radio in lid

ABSTRACT

A combination portable magnetic tape cassette player and multiband radio receiver in which the sensitive elements of the radio receiver are arranged within a hinged, plastic cover of the combined apparatus and the circuitry of the radio receiver is formed on a printed circuit board having an AM band antenna mounted thereto, whereby the AM receiver antenna is electromagnetically unshielded by the plastic cover and the combined tape player and radio receiver is of a size substantially equal to that of the tape player alone.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a cassette tape player with abuilt-in radio receiver and, more specifically, to a cassette tapeplayer with a built-in radio receiver in which the radio receiver isformed on a circuit board arranged within the cover of the tape playeralong with the radio antenna to receive broadcast information withoutinterference.

2. Description of the Prior Art

There are now known miniaturized, portable tape cassette players thatreproduce stereophonic music signals from a prerecorded cassette tapefor listening by use of similarly miniaturized headphones. Such tapeplayers are typically of a size that can be easily accommodated in onehand, and many are so small as to be inserted into a shirt pocket.

Following the introduction of these small cassette tape players therehave been units produced that incorporate a built-in radio receiver, sothat not only can the tape programs be reproduced through the headphonesbut also radio broadcasts, both AM and FM, can be received and listenedto through the same headphone set. In such tape players incorporating abuilt-in radio certain components are commonly utilized, for example,the electrical source, that is, the batteries, are used in common, asare the audio amplifier and the headphone amplifier. These units areused in common by both the radio receiver part and the tape recorderpart in order to maintain the overall size of the unit as small aspossible. In employing such commonality of parts and the incorporationof the two functionally different musical sound sources, it is necessarythat the radio receiver portion be incorporated into the tape player,since the constituent elements of the tape player are fixed in theirphysical relationships. This then requires that the radio receiver beseparated into part or segments and that these segments be incorporatedinto the various, several empty spaces available in the interior of thetape player. Because such empty spaces are at different locations aroundthe interior of the tape player, it becomes necessary for the radioreceiver to be divided into several sections or segments with thelocation of such segments corresponding to the vacent spaces within theinterior of the tape player. It is such arrangement of the radioreceiver into these various parts that results in the integrated radioreceiver having a complicated electrical wiring requirement relative toa conventional, unitary radio receiver. Perhaps most importantly, whenthe tuner unit of the radio receiver is divided into several sections,as required for the reasons set forth above, the lead length mustnecessarily be increased, which results in an increase in straycapacitance between such leads, thereby increasing the possibility ofunwanted oscillations in the radio receiver circuitry.

Additionally, the tape drive elements in the tape cassette player, suchas the capstan, the motor casing, and the chassis located within themain body of the tape player must necessarily be made of a metallicmaterial in order to provide the necessary mechanical strength. Quitefrequently, the bar or rod antenna of the AM receiver, which may includea ferrite rod, must necessarily be located in proximity to such metalliccomponents, with the result that the radio wave being received areobstructed and interfered with by these metallic parts on their way tothe rod antenna. This antenna location situation severely reduces thesensitivity of the radio receiver. In regard to receiving FM signals,the electrical conductors connecting the earphone headset to the tapecassette player or radio receiver typically provide the desirablethirty-inch antenna length optimum for use in receiving FM radiosignals.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide acassette tape player having a built-in radio receiver that is free ofthe above-noted defects inherent in the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cassette tapeplayer having a built-in radio receiver in which the assembly andmaintenance operations of the radio receiver elements are facilitated byproviding a relatively spacious mounting area and in which the tapeplayer housing is made of metallic material to improve mechanicalstrength.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tapecassette player having a built-in radio receiver in which the rodantenna is mounted at a distant location from the metallic housing ofthe tape cassette player, in order to reduce obstruction by the metallichousing in receiving the broadcast radio waves.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a tapecassette player with built-in radio receiver in which the radio receiveris arranged in a hinged cover of the tape cassette player.

According to one aspect of the present invention the radio receiver ismounted in the hinged or pivotable cover of a tape cassette player,which is typically formed of plastic material because mechanical andstructural strength is not required in the lid of the tape cassetteplayer, and the bar or rod antenna is also located in the plastic hingedcover, therefore, being as far away as possible from the necessarymetallic elements of the tape cassette player, which are required inorder to provide either structural strength or are required because oftheir electrical properties, that is, the motor drive for the tapecassette player.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from the following detailed descriptionof illustrative embodiments thereof to be read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tape recorder having a built-in radioaccording to the present invention, with no tape cassette arrangedtherein;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to that of FIG. 1 but having a tapecassette loaded in a cassette-holding section of the tape cassetteplayer;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a tape cassette player having a built-inradio receiver in which the cassette case is opened;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view in exploded form showing the cassette casecover of the player of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, partially exploded, showing a printedcircuit board arranged inside the cassette case cover;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cassette case cover of FIG. 5;and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an operating lever for switching to thedesired band in the radio receiver of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows a tape cassette player having a built-in radio receiveraccording to the present invention and such tape player may typicallyhave exterior dimensions of 100 mm in width, 70 in height, and 22 mm inthickness, when a tape cassette player is not loaded therein. Thisparticular tape cassette player is of the kind that is expanded in sizein order to insert a standard size compact audio cassette. The tapeplayer of FIG. 1 is shown without a cassette being loaded therein. Thetape player has a main body 1 and a cover 2 pivotally mounted relativeto the main body, so that it can be opened and closed relative theretoas desired. The main body 1 is formed of a main housing 3 and anauxiliary housing 4, both of which are formed of metallic material andthe auxiliary housing is slidably movable with respect to main housing3, in order to expand the player to receive a cassette. A tape cassetteholding section 5 (FIG. 3) is defined in main body 1 so that a compactaudio cassette can be mounted in place within main body 1. In order toaccomplish such cassette insertion it is necessary that the auxiliaryhousing 4 be slidably moved in relation to main housing 3 and, upon suchmovement, the tape cassette player having a built-in radio receiveraccording to the present embodiment then becomes approximately 82 mm inheight, the width and, thickness remaining the same. The mechanicalarrangement whereby auxiliary housing 4 can be moved in this fashion inrelation to main housing 3 so that the tape cassette can be mountedwithin the tape player, is described in our copending Japanese Laid-openUtility Model Publication No. 14106/1984 filed July 20, 1982.Nevertheless, a detailed description thereof is not necessary to explainthe present invention.

Main housing 3 of main body 1 accommodates the tape recorder parts, suchas the tape drive mechanism and the mode selector, and the elements thatmay be used in common with the radio receiver, such as the audio orheadphone amplifier and the electrical power source. Thus, as seen inFIG. 3, in main housing 3 a pair of reel-driving spindles are arrangedto project through a bottom plate 7 of the tape cassette mountingsection 5 and engage the take-up and supply reel hubs of the tapecassette, not shown. The construction of the compact audio tape cassetteis well known and has the magnetic tape arranged for transport betweenrotatably mounted takeup and supply reels. Tape driving spindles 8 and 9are adapted to be selectively operated in a play mode, a fast-forwardmode, and a rewind mode, in the conventional fashion by a reel-drivingelectric motor arranged inside main housing 3.

At one side of main housing 3 rotatable capstan shaft 6 of the tapedriving mechanism projects upwardly into the tape cassette holdingsection 5, in the known fashion. The tape driving mechanism cooperateswith a pinch roller, not shown, for clamping the magnetic tape betweenthe capstan and pinch roller and causing the tape to travel at aconstant linear speed. Capstan shaft 6 is rotatably driven by a capstandriving motor, not shown, also arranged within main housing 3. Theforward portion of main housing 3 includes head housing section 10 thatencloses a playback magnetic head used exclusively for contact with themagnetic tape to red the electrical signals that have been magneticallyrecorded on the tape. Also at one side of main body 3 is battery housingsection 11 that encloses the batteries that provide the electrical powerfor the unit. These housing sections 10 and 11 are arranged inside-by-side longitudinal relationship at the front part of main housing3. During the playback or reproduction mode, the magnetic head, notshown, is slidably moved forward into tape cassette holding section 5 tomaintain contact with the moving magnetic tape. Headphone jack 12 isarranged in one side of head housing section 10 and into this jack theconnecting plug of the headphone, not shown, or earphone is inserted.

On the outside of the front edge of main housing 3 are arranged theoperational controls for the tape cassette player specifically, playbackmode button 13, stop button 14, fast-forward button 15 and a rewindbutton 16 are arranged in mutual spaced-apart relationship along thefront of the housing. Sound volume adjustment knob 17 is rotatablymounted at a lower-most edge of main housing 3. Mode changeover control18 changes over between the tape recorder mode or the radio receivermode and is arranged on one side of main housing 3, and a noisereduction switch 19 and a tape select operating switch 20 are mounted injuxtaposition to one another along one side of main housing 3.

In auxiliary housing 4, which is slidably arranged relative to mainhousing 3, cover 2 is adapted for pivotal movement to open or close tapecassette holding section 5 and is mounted by hinge 25, shown in FIG. 4.By hingedly affixing cover 2 to auxiliary slidable element 4, whenauxiliary element 4 is slidably moved outwardly relative to main housing3, cover 2 also moves, thereby providing the proper space for the tapecassette in the tape cassette holding section.

Cover 2 is comprised of cover frame 21 and panel plate 26, and coverframe 21 is integrally formed having front plate 22a, side plates 22b,22c, and rear plate 22d, all of which are advantageously formed ofsynthetic resin, that is, of plastic material. Panel plate 26 formed ofsynthetic material is affixed to the surface of front plate 22a of coverframe 21. Display window 27 is provided and is arranged substantiallycentral of panel plate 26, so that the amount of tape on the respectivereels of the tape cassette held in holding section 5 can be visuallydetermined without opening cover 2. As is typical in cassette players,gradations are provided on the transparent display window 27 to aid indetermining the length of tape available. Arranged at one side ofdisplay window 27 are selected ones of the tuning frequencies for theradio receiver, and these may be printed directly on the plasticsmaterial. In this embodiment, three receiving bands are provided for AMfrequencies 28, FM frequencies 29, and television channels 30 arrangedin juxtaposition in vertical rows and suitable frequency display windows31, 32, 33, respectively, are mounted in registry with these respectivefrequency gradations 28, 29 and 30. A dial indication display window 34is arranged along one side of the frequency gradations and is providedso that an indicator can be seen to move along the length of windows 28,29, and 30. While the various windows 27, 31, 32, 33, and 34 aretransparent, the gradations 28, 29 and 30 are printed in opaque paint sothat the interior elements cannot be seen from outside this embodimentof a tape cassette player with a built-in radio receiver. Panel plate 26is located by a peripheral rib 35 formed on cover frame 21 and isaffixed at the located position by a suitable adhesive.

Referring specifically to FIG. 4, cover frame 21 is formed having acut-out 36 so that the display window 27 in panel plate 26 can permitthe interior of the tape cassette holding section 5 to be visuallycheoked from outside the unit without opening the cover. Similarly,cut-out 37 is formed as an enlongated through hole in registry with dialindicator display window 34 and cut-out 37 in cover frame 21 is providedto allow access from the inside to bandwidth selecting windows 31, 32,and 33.

On the inner surface of cover 2 is attached printed circuit board 41 formounting and electrically connecting circuit components, typically shownat 40, which may be integrated circuit chips or similar components ofthe radio receiver, such as the AM and FM tuner sections, theintermediate frequency (IF) amplifier, the detector, and the FM stereodemodulator. All of these various functional circuits are easilyreducible to integrated circuit component size. Located approximately atthe center of printed circuit board 41 is cut-out 43 that is providedfor access to mount bar or rod antenna 42, which is used to receive AMradio broadcast signals. Antenna 42 is retained on circuit board 41 by apair of antenna holders 44 and 45, which are preferably formed of nylonor other similar plastics material, and such antenna holders areattached to printed circuit board 41 at both longitudinal ends ofcut-out 43. Antenna holders 44 and 45 are adapted to hold the ends ofbar antenna 41 by being formed having integral clamping elements 47 and48 that simultaneously clamp onto the printed circuit board 41 throughthe spreading action caused by inserting the ends of antenna 42 into therespective ends of the antenna holders 44 and 45. In this fashion, barantenna 42 is attached to printed circuit board 41 so as to be arrangedwithin cut-out 43, thereby taking advantage of a space corresponding tothe thickness of printed circuit board 42 and, thus, it is not necessaryto provide an enlarged mounting space to accommodate antenna 41, and thethickness of the tape player and radio receiver combination of thepresent invention is not increased. FIG. 5 shows bar antenna 41 as itwould be installed in cut-out 43 of printed circuit board 41.

Printed circuit board 41, to which bar antenna 42 is mounted by usingmounting brackets 44 and 45 in the above-described manner, has opening52 formed therein that is engaged by positioning lugs 51 that are formedintegrally with the cassette cover 2. Printed circuit boar 41 is furtherretained by use of an adhesive, such as double-backed tape, to the innersurface of face plate 22 of cover frame 21 on the surface thereof thatis not covered with circuit components. Such mounting of circuit board42 is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Cut-out 53 is formed in face plate 22a offrame 21 to accommodate bar antenna 42, and this cut-out 53 iscontiguous and integrally formed with cut-out 36 in registry withdisplay window 27 so as to provide adequate clearance space for barantenna 42. The various circuit components, typically shown at 40, ofthe multi-band radio receiver circuitry are arranged on printed circuitboard 41, which is mounted to cassette cover 2, and are electricallyconnected by flexible cables 54 and 55 mounted across hinge 25 to theelectrical power source, not shown, which is utilized in common with thetape recorder elements that are arranged inside main body 1. Circuitboard 41 is also electrically connected by flexible or ribbon cables 54and 55 to the audio amplifier and headphone amplifier typically locatedin main body 3 of the apparatus.

Apparatus is provided to tune or select the desired frequency of thevarious bands provided in the radio receiver portion of the system, anda tuning assembly, shown generally at 57, is arranged and mounted to theinner surface of side wall 22 of cover frame 21. Tuning unit 57 includesvariable resistance element 56 used for changing the voltage on avariable capacitance element, that is, a varicap, not shown, whichserves to alter the tuning capacity of the receiving circuit. Alsoincluded in tuning unit 57 are pulleys 58, 59, and 60 and tuning knob63, a portion of which is exposed through a cut-out in top cover 21, sothat knob 63 is available for manual actuation to tune the receiver tothe desired station. The resistance of variable resistor 56 is varied bymanually turning knob 63, and a dial indicator 65 that is attached todial string 62 is movable in relation to display window 34 to indicatethe tuned frequency by means of gradations 28, 29, and 30 which are atthe various windows associated with the respective receiving bands.

Arranged between cover 2 and printed circuit board 41 is elongated,flattened, operating lever 66 formed of nonmetallic material, such assynthetic resin, and lever 66 is slidably mounted to operate bandwidthchange-over switch 65, which is physically and electrically mounted onprinted circuit board 41. The mounting arrangement of elongated lever66, printed circuit board 41, and change-over switch 65 is shown in FIG.4. One end of enlongated lever 66 is formed having a downwardly recessedengaging boss 68, which engages slidable element 67 of band change-overswitch 65. The other end of elongated lever 66 is formed havingincreased width and has printed thereon display mark 69, which is soarranged as to be in juxtaposition with one of bandwidth switchingdisplay windows 31, 32, and 33, depending upon the sliding location ofenlongated lever 66. Enlongated, flattened lever 66 also has a centrallyarranged, upraised operating knob or boss 72 for manual actuation by theoperator and elongated, operating lever 66 is shown by itself in FIG. 7.Operating lever 66 is so positioned that engaging boss 66 at one endengages operating projection tab 67 of band change-over switch 65, sothat display mark 69 at the other end is in registry with one of theband selection display windows 31, 32, and 33. The operating controlknob 72 is disposed within a elongated slot 73 formed in frame 21 and isclamped between panel plate 26 and printed circuit board 41, wherebyoperating knob 72 projects slightly above the surface of cassette casecover 2 through another elongated slot 74 formed therein. By mountingelongated lever 66 in this fashion in the sliding slot 74, it may beoperated by laterally shifting the operating knob 72 to operate the bandchange-over switch 65 and to also bring display mark 69 into registrywith one of display windows 31, 32, and 33, corresponding to theselected band, AM, FM, or TV, respectively.

Once again, by providing the above-described construction the overallthickness of the combination tape recorder and radio receiver ismaintained at a minimum. More specifically, because the band selectiondisplay is comprised of plate-like operating lever 66 of minimumthickness, which is received in slide groove 73 formed by partiallycutting through cassette case cover 2, case cover 2 is thereby notincreased in thickness. Additionally, power consumption is againmaintained at a minimum because no electrical display elements arerequired to indicate the selected receiving band.

In the inventive construction, printed circuit board 41 and tuning unit57 are integrally mounted inside cover 2 and additionally are covered bycover plate 76 formed of a nonmetallic synthetic material that isaffixed to cassette case cover 2 by means of screws, shown typically at75. In this fashion, the electrical circuit components mounted on theprinted circuit board 41 are protected against both electrical shortsand also inadvertent or accidental contact by the user.

As may be seen from the above and the drawings associated therewith, thepresent invention provides a tape recorder having a built-in radioreceiver in which radio receiver circuitry 40 is mounted on printedcircuit board 41, which is arranged inside and affixed to the innersurface of cassette case cover 2 at locations where there are nocomponents required by the tape recorder, so that printed circuit board41 is mounted over the entire inner surface of cover 2. Accordingly,this provides a relatively large area for the radio receiver components,consisting of the generally shown integrated circuit chips 40, so thatall of them can be attached to the single printed circuit board 41,whereby the thickness of the radio receiver portion of the system isreduced. Additionally, assembly time is reduced since the assemblyoperations are facilitated because the radio receiver circuit componentscan be mounted on the generally spacious printed circuit board 41.Additionally, the tuning frequency gradations are formed in proximity totuning dial 23 on cover 2, so that while the tuning operation is beingperformed the receiving frequency can be checked quite easily.

By attaching circuit board 41 to cassette case cover 2 it is possible toprovide additional mechanical strength so that the cassette case cover 2can be formed as a thin plate of synthetic or plastic material. Thismeans that again the overall thickness can be maintained at a minimumyet no sacrifice in mechanical strength or physical and structuralcharacteristics is made because the printed circuit board stacked withcase cover 2 provides a relatively rigid structure so that can bepositively closed without risk of being flexed or deformed. Also, byproviding the radio receiver elements on a circuit board separate fromthe main body of the tape recorder not only is assembly facilitated butalso removal for maintenance is facilitated.

Perhaps most importantly, because the bar antenna 42 for AM radioreception is attached to the plastic case cover 2 by locating it inprinted circuit board 41, the antenna is not surrounded by metallicparts so that its receiving sensitivity is not lowered.

Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings,it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to thoseprecise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications can beeffected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from thescope or spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A combination portable cassette tape player andbuilt-in radio receive, comprising:a main body in the form of arectangular parallelepiped; means for arranging a cassette tape playerwithin said main body; a cover element hingedly attached to said mainbody having a height substantially less than a height of said main bodyand cooperating with said main body and said tape player to form acassette tape holding section for receiving a cassette tape therein; andmeans for arranging a radio receiver within said cover element, saidradio receiver including a printed circuit board having a.[.substantially centrally arranged.]. cut-out .[.porition.]..Iadd.portion .Iaddend.and an antenna element and further comprisingmeans for mounting said antenna element substantially within said.[.centrally arranged.]. cut-out portion that is mounted within saidcover element.
 2. A combination portable cassette tape player andbuilt-in radio receiver according to claim 1, in which said radioreceiver further includes at least a tuner, an intermediate frequencyamplifier, and a detector and said means for arranging said radioreceiver includes means for arranging said tuner, said intermediatefrequency amplifier, and said detector in said cover element and inwhich said tape player arranged within said main body includes at leastan audio amplifier and an electrical power source and further comprisingconnection means whereby said audio amplifier and said electrical powersource are employed in common by said tape player and said radioreceiver.
 3. A combination portable cassette tape player and built-inradio receiver according to claim 2, in which said tuner, saidintermediate frequency amplifier, and said detector included in saidradio receiver are mounted on said printed circuit board.
 4. Acombination portable cassette tape player and built-in radio receiveraccording to claim 1, in which said main body comprises a housing formedof metallic material and said cover comprises a housing formed ofplastic material having said antenna element arranged therein, wherebysaid antenna is unshielded from electro-magnetic radiation.
 5. Acombination portable cassette tape player and built-in radio receiveraccording to claim 4, in which said radio receiver according to claim 4,in which said radio receiver is of a kind for receiving more than onebroadcast band and further comprising a band selector switch mounted onsaid printed circuit board arranged within said cover element and a bandselector operating lever slidably mounted on said cover element andoperably connected with said band selector switch.
 6. A combinationportable cassette tape player and built-in radio receiver according toclaim 5, in which said band selector operating lever comprises aflattened, enlongated blade element slidably arranged between said coverelement and said printed circuit board.
 7. A combination portablecassette tape player and built-in radio receiver according to claim 6,in which said antenna element is formed as a bar and in which said meansfor mounting said antenna includes a least two clip elements forattaching the ends of said antenna element in said cut-out portion ofsaid printed circuit board.
 8. Portable magnetic tape cassette playerapparatus of the kind for use with an earphone, comprising:a box-shapedmain body arranged to contain said magnetic tape player; a cover havinga height less than a height of said main body and being hingedlyattached along one edge thereof to said main body, thereby forming acassette tape holding section for receiving a cassette tape therein; anda multiband radio receiver arranged within said hingedly mounted coverand including at least a printed circuit board, AM band receivingcircuitry, and an AM bar antenna for receiving AM band radio broadcasts,said printed circuit board being arranged within said hingedly mountedcover and having said AM band receiving circuitry mounted thereon andhaving a .[.substantially centrally arranged.]. cut-out section withsaid AM bar antenna mounted within said cut-out section, wherein signalsreceived by said radio receiver are reproduced through said earphone. 9.Apparatus according to claim 8, in which said radio receiver furthercomprises FM band receiving circuitry and in which said earphoneincludes an electrical conductor connected to said multiband radioreceiver, said electrical conductor comprising an antenna for FM bandradio broadcasts.
 10. Apparatus according to claim 8, in which said mainbody includes a metal case and said cover includes a plastic case,whereby said AM bar antenna mounted in said cover is substantiallyunshielded from electro-magnetic radiation.
 11. Apparatus according toclaim 10, further comprising a band selector switch for selecting abroadcast band of said radio receiver, said band selector switch beingmounted on said printed circuit board arranged within said cover and aband selector operating lever slidably mounted on said cover andoperably connected with said band selector switch.
 12. Apparatusaccording to claim 11, in which said band selector operating levercomprises a flattened, enlongated blade element slidably arrangedbetween said cover and said printed circuit board.
 13. Apparatusaccording to claim 12, further comprising at least two mounting elementsfor mounting said AM bar antenna in respective ends of said cut-outportion of said printed circuit board.